Kanye West used to be the wealthiest man in hip-hop. However, according to the rapper himself, his net worth dropped by four billion dollars due to his politics and outspoken ways. However, irrespective of his billionaire status, the rapper has still made some great music in his career, and one of his most loved songs is ‘Gold Digger’, featuring Jamie Foxx, which featured on West’s 2005 album Late Registration.
But in spite of the single’s success, years later, the rapper, producer and entrepreneur has revealed that he actually hated the song even when he was making it. Produced by Kanye, the beat samples the 1954 track ‘I Got A Woman’ by singer and songwriter Ray Charles and was a club anthem.
Released as the second single from Late Registration, Kanye produced the beat alongside record producer Jon Brion for Chicago female rapper Shawnna. However, due to complications, the beat remained in West’s hands. Helping West to create ‘Gold Digger’ by providing vocals was Jamie Foxx, who had also worked with Kanye on his debut album College Dropout.
Upon completion, when released by Kanye’s label at the time, Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella, the single went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, number two on the UK singles chart, and was certified platinum in over four countries. However, even after the record’s success, Kanye possessed a level of disdain for the song.
In a 2013 interview with former BBC Radio 1 host Zane Lowe, West explained how he “never really liked” ‘Gold Digger’ and that he really only released for monetary reasons detailing that the music industry is given and take and that he had to make money in order to mature with his sound.
In the interview, he explained his main goal in the industry was, West boldly stated, “I’m here to crack the pavement and break new ground, sonically.”
